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Axios Seattle
Seattle's summer predicted to be warmer and drier than normal
Seattle is likely to face a hotter-than-usual summer, according to new forecasts and research.Why it matters: Over 80% of Seattleites live on heat islands, per a 2023 data analysis by the nonprofit climate research group Climate Central.Extreme heat poses serious health risks and plays a role in droughts and wildfires.A historic heat dome phenomenon in 2021 brought a 108-degree day to Seattle, set 128 all-time high temperature records in Washington and was linked to dozens of Pacific Northwest deaths.Driving the news: A recently released NOAA climate outlook for July through September shows the chances for hotter-than-average conditions are highest across...
Baby humpback whale spotted with mother in Salish Sea
The first baby humpback whale of 2024 has arrived in the Salish Sea, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA).Driving the news: The calf, estimated to be 3 to 4 months old, was first seen with its mother, BCX1460 (aka Black Pearl), near San Juan Island on April 18, per PWWA.Big Mama, the prolific matriarch credited with leading the humpbacks' comeback in 1997, was also seen.Why it matters: Record-breaking numbers of humpbacks and Bigg's killer whales have been sighted in the waters of Washington and British Columbia over the last two years, according to data compiled by PWWA and...
What to do in Seattle this weekend
Friday🎥 The 21st annual Seattle Black Film Festival kicks off at 7pm at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute with Contessa Gayles' film "Songs From the Hole" (additional programming through Sunday).Opening night tickets from $22. Passes from $60.🖼️ Pick up some statement art at Flatstock 94, which will fill Seattle Center's Cornish Playhouse with prints from an international selection of poster artists from 10am to 6pm. Tickets from $15.Saturday📚 Celebrate your hyperliterate city with Independent Bookstore Day! Visit one of 28 participating local bookstores for a bookworm party and one-time specials.Or visit them all over the next 10 days for even more book discounts. Check to see if your local shop is taking part. Free.🏕️ Munch on marshmallows by the water at Pier 62 as part of REI's S'mores on the Shore event. Fire pits and lounge chairs will be provided, along with all the gooey treats your sweet tooth desires. 5–8pm. Free.Sunday🧝 Welcome spring like an elven lord with Skål Beer Hall's Spring Mead Festival from 12pm to 2pm. $30 gets you sample pours from eight local producers, plus snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Seattle.
Get to know Seattle's other sports teams
You know the Storm, the Mariners, the Sounders, the Reign, the Kraken and the Seahawks, but what about the city's lesser-known (but no less interesting) sports teams?Why it matters: While our major league soccer, baseball and women's basketball teams may get the glory, Seattle is home to several under-the-radar sports teams that are just as fun to watch — and often much more affordable.Zoom out: Your next favorite Seattle team could connect with your current one. If you love the Mariners or the Kraken, consider a low-key alternative in a minor, college league or junior team.Check out the Everett AquaSox...
Why we wait for May to plant tomatoes in Seattle
The Seattle area's last frost is in the rearview mirror, but gardening experts say it's safer to wait until next month to plant tomatoes and other tender staples.Why it matters: Putting off some planting, digging and tidying not only gives many plants their best chance to thrive, it also boosts survival odds for bees and other beneficial insects, gardening journalist Erica Browne Grivas told Axios.The big picture: Warming temperatures are changing where and when different plant varieties can grow successfully, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which was updated last year.The new hardiness map shows...
Seattle is the nation's second-biggest new AI job hotspot
Data: UMD-LinkUp AIMaps; Note: "AI job" defined as a job requiring technical skills to build and/or use AI models; A bigger circle indicates more new jobs per capita; Map: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosSeattle, San Francisco and San Jose are the country's top three new AI job hotspots, a recent analysis finds.Why it matters: The numbers underscore what some of Seattle's business and tech leaders have been promising: The city will emerge as one of the key hubs for artificial intelligence innovation, as Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan touted last year.By the numbers: With 74.4 new AI job listings per 100,000 residents, Seattle placed...
"Mechanic Shop Femme" book tour comes to Seattle
The author of a new how-to book on car ownership is taking a tour of a different sort, stopping not at bookstores but queer- and women-owned car repair shops around the country.Why it matters: Cars can be one of the most expensive and consequential purchases for many people and making the right choices can save thousands of dollars, said automotive journalist Chaya Milchtein, who wrote the "Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership."Milchtein, who was named one of Out Magazine's most influential LGBTQ people in 2021, told Axios she wanted to share practical information with people who are outside traditional,...
"Cute" cannabis products can get consumers to open their wallets
In the crowded field of cannabis sales, the power of cute can have a potent impact on pocketbooks, according to new research.Why it matters: Consumers are willing to pay up to 26% more for one-eighth of an ounce of cannabis flower if it has memorable packaging or they see it as "something special," such as a collectible or giftable item, per research from Physis + Agency commissioned by printing technology company Roland DGA.By the numbers: About 57% of survey respondents said cannabis makes a great gift if it is packaged in premium branding. Among millennials, this figure soars to nearly 69%.While more than 72% of respondents are open to spending more on cannabis jars if they are reusable or collectible, even non-collectors (25%) state that the right packaging could inspire them to pay extra, per the research.The bottom line: House of Cultivar, which is among the state's largest cannabis producers, released a limited-edition run of a specialty flower called "Lobster Roll" that was packaged in a tall glass with a printed sticker featuring raised holographic ink.It sold out in two weeks, per House of Cultivar's creative director, Daniel Peterson.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Dallas.
Why Seattle's not much of a weed destination city
Seattle trails Denver, Portland, Las Vegas and even Buffalo, New York, as a weed destination city in the U.S., per a recent survey.Why it matters: It's been more than a decade since Washington became one of the first two states in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use along with Colorado, but industry insiders say Washington has room to grow its reputation as a destination cannabis spot.In an industry that's becoming saturated with producers, Washington could do more to capture a share of the millions in estimated weed tourism dollars, Aric Mayer, founder of the PNW-based research group Physis...
6 fun things to try in Seattle this weekend
A partly sunny weekend lies ahead, and whether you want to spend it inside or out and about, there are plenty of ways to pass the time.Here are a few events that look like fun.Friday🩰 It's closing weekend for Pacific Northwest Ballet's "The Seasons' Canon." Axios Seattle attended opening night and loved seeing choreography reminiscent of seedlings, starlings and growth-and-decay time-lapse videos (plus Norma Kamali costumes). 7:30pm (with two more shows on Saturday, 2pm and 7:30pm). Tickets from $50.🍿 At "Hecklevision: Troll 2," you can send your snarky comments straight to the movie screen as part of Central Cinema's series...
Washington state's record year for EV registrations
Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle registrations reached record levels last year in Washington, per state data.Why it matters: Washington saw the biggest increase in EV market share in 2023 of any state, per a report by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a transition that climate experts say is critical to taming greenhouse gas emissions.Zoom in: The Seattle region's adoption of EVs has far outpaced the nation's, historically.But last year alone, the state saw a 43% jump — from 118,050 in January 2023 to 168,850 by the year's end — in EV and plug-in hybrid registrations, according to the state Department...
More women are starting businesses in Seattle
Data: Yelp; Table: Alice Feng/AxiosNew women-owned businesses in the Seattle area increased 14% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to new Yelp data.Why it matters: The trend is more evidence that the "she-conomy" — economic growth attributed to women and marked by "Barbie," Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour and Taylor Swift last year — continues to expand.Zoom in: Vanessa Barrios, the founder of Pumarosa Candles — which hosted its first pop-up in 2023 and recently opened a new storefront at Pacific Place — told Axios that support of her business is not just about gender equality, but also about embracing diversity, sparking...
Homicides plunge in major cities after pandemic-era surge
Data: AH Datalytics; Chart: Axios VisualsHomicides in Seattle and other major U.S. cities have fallen this year after huge jumps during the pandemic.Why it matters: The nation is on track to see one of the lowest levels of violent crimes and homicides in a decade.By the numbers: Seattle saw a 36% decrease in the number of homicides recorded in the first three months of 2024 — nine, compared to the 14 reported during the same period in 2023, according to AH Datalytics, a criminal justice consulting firm.Detective Brian Pritchard, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department, told Axios that as...
Let's talk about the "Seattle Smug"
You've heard about the Seattle Freeze. But what about the Seattle Smug?Do you ever feel judged for separating your recyclables "the wrong way"?Do you ever feel like you're in trouble every time you order a latte without an alternative milk?Do people sneer when you tell them where you grew up?Zoom out: If these experiences sound familiar, you might've been a victim of the Seattle Smug!Megan's thought bubble: As a teenager growing up in Seattle, I could not have told you the difference between Lynnwood and Bellevue, because I saw the suburbs as an amorphous blob of nothing.I've since grown out...
Limited by teetotaling, Northwest loggers got creative
Here's a look at some of the April historical events in Washington, sourced from state history encyclopedia HistoryLink and media archives.April 15, 1934: The Blue Moon Tavern in the University District opened its doors, which would welcome Theodore Roethke, Tom Robbins, members of the Weather Underground and (rumor has it) Allen Ginsberg and Thomas Pynchon.On the bar's 70th birthday in 2004, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer described it as a "​​hangout for the literati and lowlifes."April 15, 1854: Sawamish County, now known as Mason County, was established by the Washington Territorial Legislature. The county seat — on a claim belonging to a Baptist minister — was alcohol-free, so local loggers traveled two miles away to a floating saloon to get their kicks.Fun fact: You may have heard "It's daylight in the swamp!" as a morning greeting, but Pacific Northwest loggers likely heard it first.The phrase comes from a logging camp wake-up call during "a thumping great and wildly wonderful, if tragically heedless, era in the timber," wrote Stewart H. Holbrook in an October 1958 story for American Heritage magazine.Sign up for Axios Seattle for free.
With clear skies forecast, Seattle could see Lyrid meteor shower this week
With clear nights in the forecast later this week, Seattle stargazers may get a chance to see one of the world's oldest known meteor showers.Why it matters: The annual Lyrid meteor shower, known for its fast, bright displays, ends the meteor drought that occurs each year between January and mid-April, according to EarthSky.Driving the news: The shower — which has been observed for more than 2,700 years — began Monday, is expected to peak on April 22 at 2:23am Pacific time and ends on April 29.A full moon will light up the sky on April 23, so this week's relative...
How social media is changing the real estate landscape
Data: CrowdTangle; Chart: Axios VisualsThe future of Seattle real estate lies in social media — especially when it comes to connecting with young and tech-savvy buyers.Why it matters: While many scroll the Zillow Gone Wild Instagram account for entertainment, social media packaging and buzz is one way for listings to garner more attention from serious home seekers.What they're saying: "Screen appeal is the new curb appeal," Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy told Axios.Zoom in: Realtor James Savereux, who specializes in residential real estate in Seattle and the Eastside, told Axios a social media presence is increasingly important, not just to...
Seattle summer essentials
With summer just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the basics you may need to make the most of our warmer weather.Why it matters: With so much gear out there, making choices can feel overwhelming to Seattle newcomers or even old-timers who've been hibernating too long.We talked to a few local outdoor experts to get their thoughts on the essentials they recommend.What to try: Polarized sunglasses, hats and quality water bottles top the list for Kentucky Costellow, the assistant store manager for REI's flagship store in Seattle.Costellow recommends Sunski Baia polarized sunglasses, a Cotopaxi tech bucket hat...
Climate change could mean longer allergy seasons
While sunshine can bring smiles for some, it can bring suffering for others. Spring is not only the start of warmer weather but the beginning of allergy season, which has only become longer in recent years.Why it matters: Climate change and warmer springs are causing plants to produce higher concentrations of pollen for longer periods of time.What they're saying: "We're seeing allergy seasons become more intense and lasting longer," said Dilawar Khokhar, a clinical assistant professor at the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington."We used to think of ragweed as kind of ending in August,...
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